Vibration can enhance stick-slip behavior for granular friction

We experimentally study the frictional behavior of a two-dimensional slider pulled slowly over a granular substrate comprised of photoelastic disks. The slider is vibrated at frequencies ranging from 0 to 30Hz in a direction parallel to sliding. The applied vibrations have constant peak acceleration, which results in constant average friction levels. Surprisingly, we find that stick-slip behavior, where stress slowly builds up and is released in intermittent slips, is enhanced as the frequency of vibration is increased. Our results suggest that increasing the frequency of vibration may help to combine many smaller rearrangements into fewer, but larger, avalanche-like slips, a mechanism unique to granular systems. We also examine the manner in which the self-affine character of the force curves evolves with frequency, and we find additional support for this interpretation.